[ad_1]
The NBA G League said on Friday it was investigating a report by Jeremy Lin, one of basketball’s best-known Asian-American players, that he was called a “coronavirus” on the court.
Lin revealed the insult in a Facebook post Thursday in which he spoke out against the racism and discrimination faced by Asian Americans. It was a prime example of the rising tide of bigotry that many Asian Americans say they have endured since last year, when former President Donald J. Trump began to describe the coronavirus as the “Chinese virus.” .
“Being an Asian American doesn’t mean we don’t face poverty and racism,” wrote Lin, who plays for the Golden State Warriors affiliate in the G League, the developmental league of the NBA. . “Being a 9-year NBA veteran doesn’t protect me from being called ‘coronavirus’ in the field. Being a man of faith doesn’t mean that I don’t fight for righteousness, for myself and for others.
A league spokesperson confirmed that an investigation had been opened, but declined to comment further. The investigation was first reported by Athletic.
The investigation came amid an increase in attacks on Asian Americans, according to government figures. The number of hate crimes committed by victims of Asian and American descent reported to the New York Police Department rose to 28 in 2020, from just three in 2019. Activists and police officials said many more incidents had not been classified as hate crimes or had not been officially reported. .
In August, a United Nations report found that racially-motivated violence and other incidents against Asian Americans had reached “alarming levels” across the United States since the virus outbreak. The report states that more than 1,800 racist incidents against Asian Americans in the United States were reported over an eight-week period from March 2020 to May 2020.
The incidents involved people who said they were spat, blocked from public transport, discriminated against in workplaces, avoided, beaten, stabbed and insulted by being called coronavirus transmitters, according to the report.
Lin, who is Taiwanese-American, has spoken openly about the discrimination and questions he has faced in professional basketball. He also proudly embraced his role as a role model and inspiration to many Asian Americans.
A former Harvard basketball player Lin became a breakout sensation in the 2011-12 NBA season when, as an unknown parent on the bench, he took over as guard for the Knicks and tore the league apart, causing a wave of excitement that has become known as “Linsanity”. He scored more points in his first five starts than any other player in nearly 40 years, peaking at 38 against the Los Angeles Lakers.
In his Facebook post on Thursday, Lin, 32, highlighted a generational shift in Asian Americans.
“We are tired of learning that we are not racist, we are tired of being told to keep our heads down and not to create problems,” he wrote. “We are tired of Asian American children growing up and being asked where they REALLY come from, making fun of our eyes, being objectified as exotic or being told that we are inherently unattractive. .
“I want better for my seniors who have worked so hard and sacrificed so much to make a living here,” he added. “I want better for my niece, my nephew and my future children.”
Shauntel Lowe contributed to this report.
[ad_2]
Source link